PENDER COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
JUNE 26, 27 & 28, 2026
DAY BY DAY INFORMATION
The Pender community will be hitting the streets to celebrate this weekend in a big way — and this is the article that is meant to guide you through what is shaping up to be one of the most memorable parties in the village’s modern history.
And among the biggest questions is — which streets?
Starting at noon today (Thursday) parking on McCabe Street from First Street through Highway 9/Fourth Street will be restricted to allow for a three-day detour of Highway 94 traffic along that stretch.
At 5 p.m., the detour will be set up through 11 a.m. Sunday morning to make room for River City Carnival to set up a midway carnival on Main Street to Third Street, turning north on Third to make an “L” shape. Main Street from Third to Second Street will comprise the beer garden area where Friday night’s live band, BGs barbecue sandwiches and Equity Bank’s ice cream social will be held.
Recognizing that parking will be a challenge, a drop-off and pick-up area for those with mobility challenges or for families with younger children will be available east of the former Crippen’s 5th Quarter building and a few handicap parking stalls will also be available. Those taking advantage of that drive-thru area are asked to pay close attention to directions to keep it moving efficiently and safely.
Continued construction of new streets as part of the village’s waste collection system project will affect the Sunday parade and “Fun in the Park.”
This year’s parade route will not travel down Whitney Street as in past years but instead will start along Main Street in front of the Pender Community Center, heading east to Fifth Street and then south to Heyne Field, ending at the old football field.
Entries will line up on Slaughter Avenue as they have in the past, but they’ll start down the stretch of west Ivan Street that is not paved.
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
This year’s festivities begin Friday morning with the 93.7 The Ticket’s Early Break radio show live broadcast on Main Street with doughnuts and coffee available from 6-9 a.m.
The show will be broadcast live on video, as well, and community members are encouraged to turn out and be a part of the broadcast. A golf tournament will follow at Twin Creeks that is sold out.
Prairie Breeze Assisted Living will be holding a burger fundraiser from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., and then the Highway 94 Shutdown begins as River City Carnival fires up its first rides at 4 p.m. until 11:30 p.m.
BGs barbecue and the beer garden open at 5 p.m., and “Wrecked Becky” will play rock and pop songs from the 1970s through today starting at 9:30 p.m. through 1 a.m. You must be 21 and there is a $15 cover charge for bands to stay and watch the band with access to The Other Side Bar as part of the garden.
A fireworks show will be viewable east of the Logan Creek dredge bridge after dark.
SATURDAY, JUNE 27
A complete lineup of events for the weekend can be found at a link below — but Saturday’s highlights include an omelet feed and school tours at Pender Public Schools in the morning, a color run hosted by the Pendragon Flames in the park, an outdoor vendor market, a slew of events at the
Heritage Museum of Thurston County that includes a Civil War Reenactment camp, picnic on the lawn, tours and a porch dedication, a pair of nine-hole golf scrambles at Twin Creeks, midway carnival rides and beer garden on Main Street starting at 4 p.m. and the alumni banquet at the Pender Community Center.
The banquet social hour begins at 5:30 p.m., and The Pender Times will start taking honor class photos at that time. You must be present by the start of the social hour to guarantee you’ll be included in the photos.
SUNDAY, JUNE 28
Sunday’s events include the drive-in/fly-in breakfast at the airport, a community worship service at Pender Community Center, the annual parade at 1 p.m. and Fun in the Park to follow until 4 p.m.
The list of events for Fun in the Park can be found at the flyer link below,, along with starting times for the earlier events.
Among the highlights will be the return of the KidZone that was held last year on Friday night of the celebration weekend.
CLICK ON THE EVENT FLYER BELOW FOR TIMES AND MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CELEBRATION
